gpL^H-ud/ 


THE  BEGINNINGS 


Of  the 


Lutheran  Church 


IN  NORTH  CAROLINA 


Delivered  at  the 

120th  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 

Of  the 

UNITED  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  SYNOD 

OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 


By  REV.  GEO.  H.  COX,  D.  D,. 
AND  PUBLISHED  BY  THE  SYNOD. 


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REV.    GEO.    H.    COX,    D.    D, 


THE  BEGINNERS  OF  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH 
IN  NORTH  CAROLINA 


REV.  GEO.  H.  COX,  D.  D. 


The  early  history  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  North 
Carolina  is  woven  into  the  very  warp  and  filling  of 
the  history  of  the  old  North  State. 

Entering  upon  its  own  history  at  a  time  when 
the  grand  old  state  of  North  Carolina  was  but  a 
province  of  Great  Britain,  and,  asi  yet  untried  and 
undeveloped,  the  Lutheran  Church  came,  lived,  la- 
bored and  participated  in  those  grand  old  construc- 
tive times  when  the  very  foundations  of  the  Com- 
monwealth were  being  laid;  and  has  thus  been 
closely  identified  with  the  history  of  the  state  from 
the  very  beginning,  impressing  its  unbounded  faith 
in  God  and  His  Word  and  its  genuine  piety  as  that 
which  alone  could  give  stability,  character  and  power. 

The  history  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  North  Car- 
olina, therefore,  though  sadly  neglected  and  little 
known,  is  worthy  of  the  most  careful  study. 

It  was  away  back  in  the  dim,  far  distant  past, 
nearly  two  hundred  years  ago,  a  generation  before 
the  Revolutionary  War,  about  the  time  of,  in  fact 
two  or  three  years  before  Muhlenberg  came  to 
America  in  1742,  when  this  section  of  country  was 
but  an  immense  wilderness,  when  there  were  no 
railroads,  no  steamboats,  no  roads,  only  Indian 
trails,  when  the  country  was  inhabited  by  wild 
Indians  and  the  native  denizens  of  its  primeval 
forests,   that   our  forefathers,   in    Penn.,   finding   it 


difficult  to  secure  farm-lands  and  homes  at  such 
prices  as  to  them  seemed  possible  to  pay,  gathered 
together  their  holdings,  packed  them  into  their  old 
scoop-bed  wagons,  and  driving  their  herds  of  live- 
stock, started  out  to  find  homes  and  farm-lands  in 
the  naturally  rich  mountains  and  valleys  of  the 
provinces  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  of  which 
glowing  reports  had  reached  them. 

Leaving  Pennsylvania,  they  traveled  down  through 
Maryland,  across  the  James  River,  up  the  beautiful 
Shenandoah  valley  of  Virginia,  and  over  the  moun- 
tains into  what  is  now  known  as  the  Piedmorit  Sec- 
tion of  North  Carolina. 

Today,  one  hundred  and  eighty- three  years  later, 
the  route  that  they  travelled  can  easily  be  traced  by 
the  many  Lutheran  settlements  along  on  either  side 
of  the  way. 

At  that  time  there  were  no  well-kept  public  highways, 
with  signboards  directing  the  traveller  on  his  way, 
but  only  the  Indian  trails  winding  in  and  out,  over 
hill  and  dale  and  through  dense  and  dark  forests, 
and  often  difficult  to  follow.  Then,  there  were  no 
bridges  spanning  the  rivers  and  creeks,  but  each 
stream  must  be  forded,  and  that,  often  where  the 
ford  was  rough  and  rocky,  and  through  deep  and 
rushing  waters,  with  high,  precipitous  banks  on 
either  side.  » 

And  not  only  were  these  natural  difficulties  to  be 
overcome,  but  they  were  compelled  to  be  constantly 
on  the  watch  to  guard  against  and  repel  the  sudden 
attacks  of  the  unfriendly  Indians  through  whose 
territory  they  must  pass. 

Thus  it  was  that  our  forefathers,  through  toils 
and  labors,  exposures  and  trials,  difficulties  and  dan- 
gers, came  to  this:  section  of  North  Carolina.       To 


us  of  the  present  day,  in  the  enjoyment  of  comforts, 
conveniences  and  luxuries,  as  we  are,  it  is  very  diffi- 
cult for  us  to  have  any  real  conception  of  the  her- 
oism, courage,  strength  and  endurance  of  those 
hardy  pioneers  of  our  Lutheran  church  in  North 
Carolina.  But,  in  the  providence  of  God,  here  they 
came,  a  devout  Spartan  band;  and  here  they  settled 
when  the  foundations  of  this  grand  old  state  of 
North  Carolina  were  being'  laid;  and  here  they  or- 
ganized their  congregations  and,  side  by  side  with 
their  homes,  erected  their  churches,  trusting  in  God 
for  pastors,  though  they  knew  not  whence  nor  how 
they  were  to  come. 

Thus,  somewhere  between  the  years  of  1740  and 
1745,  the  first  three  Lutheran  churches  were  estab- 
lished; viz.  St.  John  Church  in  Salisbury,  Zion, 
commonly  known  as  Organ  Church  in  Rowan  County, 
and  St.  John  Church  in  Cabarrus  then  Mecklenburg 
County.  So  far  as  can\  be  ascertained,  these  three 
congregations  were  all  organized  about  the  same 
time,  that  is  somewhere  about  the  year  1745,  and 
Very  scon  thereafter  they  erected  their  churches  and 
held  regular  services,  conducted  by  their  church 
officers.  But  they  had  no  pastor  for  more  than 
twenty-five  years.  Without  the  regular  means  of 
grace,  that  is,  with  no  one  to  preach  the  gospel  or 
administer  the  holy  sacraments  to  them,  except  at 
long  intervals  when  some  travelling  preacher  would 
pass  through  the  country,  and  they  not  Lutherans 
and  often  unreliable  and  irresponsible,  it  naturally 
followed  that  their  young  people  were  growing  up 
in  comparative  ignorance  of  the  things  most  essen- 
tial, resulting  in  a  low  state  of  Spirituality  and  in 
great  laxity  of  morals.  Under  such  circumstances 
we  can  easily  understand  how  anxious  they  must 
have  been  to  have  their  own  pastor  to  minister  to 
them    in   holy   things.       Accordingly,    during    those 

4 


twenty-five  years,  they  had  repeatedly  appealed  to 
their  brethren  in  .Pennsylvania;  but  they  also  were 
sorely  in  need  of  pastors  for  themselves,  and  there- 
fore, were  unable  to  assist  them. 

We  must  remember  that,  at  that  time,  there  was 
no  organized  synod  in  America  except  the  Minis- 
terium  of  Pennsylvania  which  had  recently  been  or- 
ganized and  no  schools  or  seminaries  where  men 
could  be  prepared  for  the  Lutheran  ministry;  and 
that  the  only  possible  source  from  which  to  secure 
a  pastor  was  from  the  church  in  the  fatherland.  We 
can  easily  imagine  how  earnestly  they  must  have 
prayed  that  the  Lord  would  send  laborers  into  this 
part  of  his  vineyard,  and  how  often  and  anxiously 
they  must  have  discussed  the  question  in  their  fam- 
ily circles,  and  how  the  three  congregations  must 
have  often  consulted  as  to  the  ways  and  means  and 
possibilities  of  securing  a  pastor  from  the  far-away 
fatherland.  But  between  them  and  that  land  there 
were  three  thousand  miles  of  a  deep  and  mighty 
ocean,  and  the  dreadful  hardships  and  dangers  of 
such  an  ocean  voyage,  and  the  great  sacrifice  and 
expense  of  such  a  "journey.  But  something  must  be 
done.  Their  spiritual  need  must,  in  some  way,  be 
supplied.  It  seemed  impossible  that  things  could 
longer  continue  as  they  were.  They  very  well  knew 
that,  to  send  letters  or  petitions  to  Europe,,  asking 
for  a  pastor  and  a  school-teacher,  would  accomplish 
but  little  if  anything;  and  that,  therefore,  the  only 
way  that  seemed  to  have  any  promise  of  success 
was,  to  send  a  delegation  that  could  make  personal 
appeal  to  the  hearts  of  their  brethren  in  the  father- 
land, describe  the  needs  and  necessities  of  their 
congregations,  answer  questions  as  to  the  country 
and  its  conditions,  and  petition  for  contributions  to 
help  in  establishing  and  carrying  on  the  work  in 
this  new  land  of  America.     But  how  this  could  be 


accomplished  and  who  could  or  would  go  they,  for  a 
long  time,  were  unable  to  decide.  Then,  when  it 
seemed  tot  them  that  their  darkest  hour  had  come, 
God  intervened  by  putting  it  into  the  hearts  of  two 
brave,  true,  consecrated  christian  men,  to  offer  their 
services,  their  time,  their  means,  and,  if  need  be, 
cheir  lives,  to  make  the  long  and  hazardous  journey 
at  their  own  expense. 

Their  offer  was  gratefully  and  joyfully  accepted 
and  Christopher  Lyerly  of  St.  John  Church  of  Ca- 
barrus County,  and  Christopher  Rendelman  of  Or- 
gan Church  were  commissioned  to  go  to  Germany 
in  search  of  a  regular  pastor  and  a  well  qualified 
school-teacher,  and  to  ask  for  financial  assistance  in 
supporting  them.  They  were  instructed  to  apply  to 
the  Consistory  of  Hannover,  in  preference  to  any 
other,  because  at  that  time  the  Province  of  North 
Carolina  was  under  the  government  of  the  king  of 
England,  who,  at  the  same  time,  was  Elector  of 
Hannover. 

Supplied  with  the  necessary  credentials  and  es- 
pecially with  one  from  Governor  Tryon  who  was,  at 
that  time,  governor  of  the  province  of  North  Caro- 
lina bearing  the  great  seal  of  the  province,  and  with 
a  letter  of  recommendation  from  him  to  the  "Society 
for  the  spread  of  the  gospel  in  foreign  parts,"  at 
London,  tftfe  commissioners  left  their  homes  in  1772, 
traveled  horseback  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
made  a  safe  voyage  across  the  Atlantic*,  and  went, 
first,  to  England  where  they  were  most  cordially 
received  and  kindly  treated.  The  Missionary  Society 
to  which  they  appealed  heartily  endorsed  their  cause. 
The  king  of  England  and  numbers  of  the  English 
noblemen  gave  liberally  of  their  means,  and  St. 
James'  Lutheran  Chapel  in  London,  gave  them  a 
handsome  sum  of  money  for  that  dav,  in  all  amount- 
ing to  more  than  eight  hundred  dollars. 

6 


In  Germany  they  found  the  same  hearty  welcome 
awaiting-  them,  where,  beside  offering  of  money, 
they  were  presented  with  many  Bibles,  Hymn-books, 
Catechisms  and  other  publications;  and  to  Organ 
Church  was  presented  a  communion  set  which  is 
still  in  the  possession  of  the  congregation. 

The  Consistory  of  Hannover  readily  granted  their 
petition  for  a  pastor  and  school-teacher,  and  at  once, 
officially  called  and  commissioned  the  Rev.  Adolphus 
Nussman  as  pastor  and  Mr.  John  Gcdfried  Arndt 
as  school-teacher,  and  also  pledged  the  institution 
to  serve  the  brethren  in  North  Carolina  in  the  fu- 
ture, by  sending  them  additional  ministers  upon  ap- 
plication. The  commissioners  Lyerly  and  Rendel- 
man,  accompanied  by  Nussman  and  Arndt,  soon 
started  on  their  return  to  America,  where  they  ar- 
rived in  safety  in  the  fall  of  1773. 

What  a  blessed  work  those  two  laymen  accom- 
plished! God  alone  knows  what  might  have  become 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  North  Carolina  if  those 
two  had  not  volunteered  to  undertake  the  voyage 
to  Europe!  We  of  today  should  honor  their  memory 
as  the  preservers  of  Lutheranism  in  North  Carolina. 

Thus  the  Rev.  Adolphus  Nussman  became  the 
pioneer  Lutheran  minister  of  North  Carolina.  Like 
Luther,  he  was  a  converted  Roman  Catholic  monk 
of  the  Franciscan  order.  He  had  been  converted  to 
Christianity  some  years  before  he  came  to  America. 
After  his  conversion  he  completed  his  literary  and 
theological  studies  in  the  Georgia  Agusta  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Goettingen,  and  was  or- 
dained to  the  Gospel  Ministry.  He  was  thirty-three 
years  old  when  he  accepted  the  call  to  the  Lutheran 
churches  in  North  Carolina.  He  was  a  learned,  de- 
vout and  self-sacrificing  christian  minister,  and 
soundly   Lutheran  both   in  faith   and   practice.     He 


was  a  man  who  won  and  held  the  confidence,  praise 
and  love,  not  only  of  those  with  whom  he  lived  and 
labored,  but  of  all  who  had  any  knowledge  of  him. 
He  easily  could  have  risen  to  places  of  honor  and 
distinction  and  power  among  his  own  people,  in  his 
own  native  land,  but  for  the  loV*e  of  Christ  and  His 
kingdom,  willingly  gave  himself  to  severe  self-sac- 
rificing labors  among  the  destitute  Lutherans  of 
North  Carolina,  amid  the  privations  and  hardships 
of  a  pioneer  life,  in  a  foreign  land. 

Upon  his  arrival  here  in  North  Carolina,  he,  at 
first,  made  his  heme  in  the  vicinity  of  Organ  Church, 
and  served  as  pastor  of  that  church,  and  St.  John 
Church  in  Salisbury,  and  occasionally  visited  and 
ministered  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  St.  John  Church 
in   Cabarrus   County. 

The  school-teacher,  Arndt,  taught  the  children  of 
Organ  church  for  two  years,  and  was  then  ordained 
to  the  Gospel  Ministry,  and  became  the  second  pas- 
tor of  Organ  Church,  the  Rev.  Nussman  removing  to 
Cabarrus  Ccunty  and  becoming  the  pastor  of  St. 
John  Church  in  that  County,  which  he  served  faith- 
fully and  well  until  his  death,  November  8,  1794, 
being  a  little  over  fifty  five  years  of  age.  His 
earthly  remains  lie  in  the  old  graveyard  of  St.  John 
Church.  An  old  slate-stone  formerly  marked  the 
spot,  upon  which  was  a  German  inscription,  the 
translation  of  which  is  "For  me  to  live  is  Christ;  to 
die  is  gain.  The  memory  of  the  righteous  is 
blessed.  Here  lie  the  remains  of  tWe  Faithful 
preacher,  Adolphus  Nussman;  Born  in  Germany, 
August,  1739,  Died  November  3,  1794."  The  old 
slatestone  was  rapidly  crumbling  away  and  was  brok- 
en off  at  the  ground,  when,  a  few  years  ago,  some  in- 
terested persons  replaced  it  with  a  simple  marble 
head-stone.     Otherwise  the  grave  might  soon  have 


been  lost.  The  old  slate-stone  is  preserved  in  St. 
John  Church.  This  synod  could  not  do  a  more  wor- 
thy deed  than  to  erect  a  handsome  monument  at  the 
grave  of  the  first  pioneer  Lutheran  preacher  in 
Norh  Carolina. 

While  living  in  Cabarrus  County,  Nussman  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Barbara  Lyerly,  a 
daughter  of  Christopher  Lyerly,  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners who  was  instrumental  in  bringing  him  over 
to  America.  With  her  he  lived  in  peace  and  happi- 
ness for  many  years,  and  was  the  father  of  several 
sons  and  daughters,  none  of  whom  are  now  living; 
but  his  lineal  descendants,  to  the  fourth  and  fifth 
generations,  are  still  living  in  North  Carolina,  of 
whom  I  have  had  the  honor  of  being  their  pastor. 

While  he  was  pastor  of  St.  John  Church  he  was 
very  active  in  Missionary  work,  making  frequent 
visits  among  the  Lutherans  in  what  are  now  David- 
son, Guilford,  Orange,  Stokes  and  Forsythe  Coun- 
ties, preaching  the  Word  wherever  opportunity  of- 
fered, baptizing  the  children,  catechising  the  young 
people,  and  organizing  numbers  of  congregations 
that  are  still  connected  with  the  synod. 

Mr.  John  Godfried  Arndt,  the  school-teacher,  as 
already  stated,  came  to  North  Carolina  with  Nuss- 
man in  1773.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Teacher's 
Seminary  in  the  city  of  Hannover,  in  Germany  and 
was  appointed  as  teacher  for  North  Carolina  on  Oc- 
tober 16,  1772.  Upon  his  arrival  in  North  Carolina, 
he  immediately  began  the  work  of  instructing  the 
children  of  Organ  Church;  which  work  he  continued 
until  1775,  that  is  for  two  years,  when,  on  August 
28th  of  that  same  year,  he  was  ordained  to  the  Gos- 
pel Ministry  by  the  Rev.  Joachim  Beulow  of  Saluda 

9 


River  of  South  Carolina,  pastor  of  St.  Paul  Luther- 
an Church  of  Newberry  County,  South  Carolina,  and 
as  he  signed  the  certificate  of  ordination,  "Mission- 
ary and  Inspector  of  South  and  North  Carolina." 

No  records  have  'ever  been  found  as  to  who  this 
man  was,  nor  upon  what  authority  he  acted  as  "Mis- 
sionary and  Inspector."  The  only  thing  known  of 
him  beside  that  which  I  have  stated  is  that,  at  one 
time,  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina. 

Arndt  thus  became  the  first  Lutheran  Minister 
ever  ordained  in  North  Carolina,  and  the  second  pas- 
tor of  Organ  Church.  He  served  that  congregation 
for  eleven  years  and  then  removed  to  Lincoln  Coun- 
ty, then  called  Tryon,  and  became  the  acknowledged 
founder  of  the  Lutheran  Church  west  of  the  Cataw- 
ba River,  where  he  lived  and  labored  until  his  death, 
July  9,  1807,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  six 
months  and  twenty-eight  days. 

He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  North  Car- 
olina Synod  and  was  its  first  president.  For  several 
years  he  was  perfectly  blind,  but  continued  his  min- 
istrations up  to  his  last  illness  and  death.  A  mai- 
den daughter,  Elizabeth  ,  was  his  house-keeper,  his 
wife  having  preceded  him  to  the  spirit  land,  and 
also  his  guide  and  assistant,  leading  him  wherever 
he  went  and  reading  the  scripture  lessons  and  hymns 
in  his  church  services.  He  was  a  thoroughly  con- 
secrated minister,  deeply  pious,  devoted  wholly  to  his 
calling,  and  was  loved  and  honored  by  all  who  knew 
him.  His  earthly  remains  were  interred  under  the 
pulpit  of  what  was  then  known  as  the  "Old  White 
Meeting-house"  in  Lincolnton,  of  which  he  had  been 
pastor  for  many  years.  Later,  in  1892,  the  church 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  In  rebuilding,  the  new 
church  occupied  the  old  site,  so  that  his  remains  are 

10 


still  under  the  pulpit  of  that  church  which  is  now 
known  as  Emmanuel  Church,  on  S.  Aspin  street, 
Lincolnton,   N.    C. 

In  1894  I  became  pastor  of  Organ  Church.  At 
that  time  there  were  twenty  or  more  very  old  peo- 
ple in  the  congregation;  none  of  them  less  than 
eighty,  and  several  otf  them,  between  ninety  and 
one  hundred  years  of  age;  and  one  of  them  ninety- 
eight. 

I  had  frequent  conversations  with  them  concern- 
ing the  early  history  of  Organ  Church.  The  memory 
of  some  of  them  reached  back  to  the  year  1800,  and 
they  remembered  things  related  to  th'em  by  their 
parents,  who  personally  knew  the  Rev.  Arndt. 

They  told  me  that  he  was  very  particular  as  to 
his  personal  appearance,  always  being  neatly  dressed 
according!  to  the  fashions  of  the  day,  and  wearing 
gloves  wherever  he  went;  something  very  unusual 
among  the  hardy  people  of  that  time.  He  is  said 
to  have  been  a  very  handsome  man,  Chesterfieldian 
in  his  manners,  of  fair  complexion,  blue  eyes  and 
light  auburn  hair  which  hung  in  ringlets  reaching 
his  shoulders,  and  of  which  he  was  very  proud. 

It  is  impossible  to  rightly  estimate  the  legacy  of 
heroism  bequeathed  to  us  by  ithose  two  pioneers  of 
Lutheranism  in  North  Carolina.  Their  vigorous 
faith,  their  christian  heroism,  their  holy  zeal  and 
their  self-sacrificing  labors  are  deserving  of  our 
most  profound  gratitude  and  admiration.  Eternity 
alone  can  reveal  the  good  that  they  accomplished 
and  the  many  souls  that  they  led  into  the  saving 
knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  and 
who  are  today  rejoicing  together  with  them  in  the 
blissful  home  on  high.  There  is  no  rule  of  man  by 
which  to  compute  the  results  of  the  faithful  labores 

11 


of  God's  ministering  servants.  Not  until  we  have  shuf- 
feled  off  this  mortal  coil  and  have  gone  to  the  bourn 
whence  no  traveller  returns,  and  have  been  made  to 
stand  face  to  face,  and  see  eye  to  eye,  can  we 
know  the  whole  story.  To  them,  no  doubt,  laboring 
as  they  did  under  such  difficulties  and  disadvantages, 
their  success  often  seemed  doubtful,  and,  at  best 
dreadfully  slow;  but  their  work  was  well  done,  and, 
under  the  blessings  of  Almighty  God,  was  lasting 
and  today,  after  the  lapse  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  we  know,  can  see  and  are  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  their  labors. 

No  one  can  read  the  story  of  their  sufferings, 
isolation,  incessant  toil  and  privations  without  re- 
ceiving instruction  and  profit.  They  were,  indeed, 
devout  and  consecrated  men  whose  precious  memory 
should  be  cherished  by  us  who  are  their  successors 
in  the  great  work  of  preaching  the  truth  of  God's 
Word,  as  it  is  interpreted  by  our  dear  old  Lutheran 
Church.  God  help  each  one  of  us  faithfully  to  learn 
the  lesson  of  their  lives  and  labors,  and,  strengthen- 
ed thereby,  to  go  f orth  to  the  work  that  is  committed 
to  our  hands  with  renewed  faith,  zeal  and  energy, 
and  to  faithfully  perform  the  work  given  us  to  do, 
and  thus  hand  down  to  the  generations  that  are  to 
come,  as  they  have  left  for  us,  a  history  that  shall 
grow  brighter  and  brighter  as  the  centuries  go  by! 


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